Mexican actress Melissa Barrera has reportedly been removed from the upcoming Scream movie sequel by the production company Spyglass. The decision was made in response to the company deeming her recent social media posts in support of Palestinians as anti-Semitic, according to BBC.
Melissa Barrera had been actively sharing her views on the Israel-Gaza conflict, including resharing a post that accused Israel of “genocide and ethnic cleansing.” Spyglass stated that it has “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form.”
As of now, Barrera has not commented on her removal. However, before the announcement, she shared a quote on her Instagram story that read, “At the end of the day, I’d rather be excluded for who I include than be included for who I exclude.”
Having played the lead role in the previous two Scream movies, Barrera has also been involved in the recent screen adaptation of Carmen and the 2021 version of the stage musical In The Heights.
Some of Barrera’s social media posts included references to distorting the Holocaust for the Israeli arms industry and comparing Gaza to a concentration camp.
Spyglass, in a statement to Variety, emphasized its “unequivocally clear” stance against antisemitism and hate speech, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, and Holocaust distortion.
Christopher Landon, expected to direct Scream 7, acknowledged the situation on social media, stating in a since-deleted post, “Everything sucks. Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make.”
